


Joining The Troupe

by Hisha



Series: Joining The Troupe [3]
Category: Hollow Knight (Video Games)
Genre: Gen, Nymm & Grimm being childhood friends, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-12
Updated: 2020-08-12
Packaged: 2021-03-05 19:13:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,586
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25860391
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hisha/pseuds/Hisha
Summary: Nymm wishes to join the Troupe. He is too young to become a full member right away, though.
Relationships: Divine & Grimm (Hollow Knight), Divine & Nymm (Hollow Knight), Grimm & Nymm (Hollow Knight)
Series: Joining The Troupe [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1745296
Comments: 4
Kudos: 17





	Joining The Troupe

**Author's Note:**

> I hadn't originally planned on doing a direct follow up to the previous fic, but life is full of surprises

Divine was woken up from her nap by one of the Grimmsteeds lightly tapping the top of her head. Once she was awake, she was guided right outside her tent by the long-necked bug. A familiar scent was in the air : was the Master already back?

The new incarnation of Master Grimm, looking quite small compared to the adult version, was now standing in her doorway and accompanied by another child with a slightly-too-big-for-them accordion strapped to their back.

“Master! You're back already! And you've brought a friend! It's good to see you again. Very good.”

“Long story short...” Grimm trailed off, visibly thinking up the best wording. “My caretaker was not ideal.”

“Did you get rid of him?” Divine asked. “Good. I didn't like him.”

“There was no need to come to this, thanks to Nymm's help. He saved us all a lot of time and... unpleasantness.”

The half-masked bug turned her visible eye to the mortal child, who was nervously tapping on his own shell with one hand.

“Friends of the Master are friends of us all!” she exclaimed. “Let me take a good look at you.”

Nymm froze but said nothing. Divine leaned slightly closer to his level. He stared at her sharp claws, completely avoiding eye contact.

“Have we ever initiated children before?” Divine asked after straightening back up. She had Nymm's scent memorised now.

“Not that I recall”, the Troupe Master replied.

“What about you?” the outsider asked.

“This is the Master”, Divine explained. “No initiation needed for Master. That would be weird.”

“You can live with us”, Grimm told Nymm, “but you're not a full member yet. If you really want to be... we will talk about it when you're ready.”

“How do I know if I'm ready?”

“You will”, the Troupe Master stated. “Let us go to the main tent and tell everyone what happened.”

Grimm had mentioned Divine before, of course. He had even described her as a friend and incredibly valuable member of the Troupe. Nymm had not anticipated how intimidating she looked, however.

Everyone was now in the main tent, in the middle of what looked like a circus stage lit by scarlet flames. What had been described to Nymm as Grimmkins were floating around them, curiously observing the newcomer while maintaining a respectful distance. The two Grimmsteeds were sitting on the floor on either side of Divine, and Grimm & Nymm were sitting in front of the three of them.

Nymm instinctively reached for his friend's hand and held onto it. He felt a bit less intimidated now, and started actually participating in the conversation, explaining how he met Grimm and everything that happened after that. The steeds nodded along but never uttered a single word. The kins did the same.

Eventually, Nymm let go of Grimm's hand.

“I'm tired”, the newcomer stated truthfully. “Where... where can I sleep?”

“Troupe members get their own room”, Divine explained. “You're not a member though. Not yet. But! I can make room for you in my little tent! A perfect little nook for children like you!”

Grimm must have noticed the other child's hesitation, as he intervened almost immediately :

“No need to rearrange your tent when I have a spare bed already. Come along, friend, I'll show you.”

He stood up and his friend followed suit. A second later, the Troupe Master teleported them both to his room.

The shelves were full of books and items Nymm did not recognise. What he did recognise was a desk against one wall and a bed against the opposite one. The sheets and duvet were impossibly neat, as though they were never disturbed by someone actually slipping under them.

“You can rest here”, Grimm said, gesturing towards the bed. “I do not use it.”

“So where do you sleep?” Nymm asked.

His friend pointed up as though it were the only explanation needed. The aspiring Troupe member stared at him blankly. Grimm disappeared and near-immediately reappeared hanging upside-down from the ceiling.

“Oh”, Nymm said. “Why do you even have a bed then?”

“Guests. Or me when I don't feel well. I have- Some of my predecessors have used it as an extra shelf.”

Two small stone tablets covered in writings the Troupe's guest couldn't decipher sat at the center of the bedside table. Grimm moved them to a shelf so that Nymm could place his accordion there.

“Grimm? Is it... is there a rule against children joining?”

“The occasion has not presented itself before”, the Troupe Master explained, “so we never thought of establishing a rule either way. A decision will be taken on this when you wake up.”

“Well... goodnight, then.”

“Goodnight, my friend.”

“I don't think we should initiate children”, Divine told her Master after he'd woken up and went to talk to her and the Grimmsteeds right outside the main tent. Nymm was sleeping still. “You... you're a special case.”

“He seems set on staying here even if we don't make him a full member of our clan”, Grimm observed. “We'll say he is an honorary member. He can always decide later whether or not he wants to take the mask.”

The steeds nodded in approval.

“Do we wait for him to grow up then?” Divine asked.

“We sure can. There is no rush.”

“Maybe in a couple molts...”

Grimm knew everything that happened in his domain, and therefore could see Nymm getting up and even making the bed again. It was not perfect but Grimm didn't really care about a piece of furniture he barely used.

The Troupe Master sent a passing Grimmkin Novice to guide his friend to him while he and Divine talked.

Soon enough, Nymm and his guide arrived at the entrance of the main tent. The novice left to perform some other task ; the child remained there, not going outside but not re-entering either.

“Hi”, he said to everyone present.

They warmly greeted him back. He took a step outside towards them. Stopped. Then went to stand by Grimm's side.

“You will be considered an honorary member for now”, the Troupe Master explained. “If you really want to, you can become a full member later. In the meantime... I will ask my kin to prepare a room for you.”

Nymm nodded.

“Your instrument”, Divine said. “I'd like to hear it.”

The honorary Troupe member took his accordion in hands and fidgeted as he explained that while he more or less understood how it worked now, he never actually took a proper lesson. The adult encouraged him to show her what he could do and promised not to judge too harshly.

This reassured him somewhat and he started improvising a tune. Divine smiled.

“You're better than I expected!” she exclaimed.

“Oh?”

Nymm wasn't sure whether he should be flattered by the praise or offended that she expected him to be worse.

“You shouldn't sell yourself short”, Grimm told him. “You made a lot of progress since we first met. This is something to be proud of.”

“...Thank you.”

The little group exchanged a few more words before Grimm finally offered his friend a proper tour of the tents.

Nymm wasn't sure how much time had passed since he arrived. There was no day or night to speak of and he had lost count of how many times he went to sleep some time ago.

He spent most of his waking hours either practicing with his accordion or playing with Grimm & his kin. There was one game in particular that Grimm always refused, however.

“Why don't you ever want to play hide & seek?” Nymm asked him.

They were standing somewhere in the corridor between their respective rooms.

“I know everything that happens here”, Grimm replied. “And where everyone is. It would not be a fair game. Maybe ask the steeds?”

“Maybe I will.”

“Besides, I feel I'm about to... molt very soon.”

“Need anything?” Nymm asked.

“No, thank you”, Grimm replied. “I would rather do this on my own.”

Nymm nodded and watched his friend go to his room. Maybe playing with the steeds would be fun. He had seen the novices (and occasionally higher ranks) do that. They mostly organised races between the steeds rather than playing hide & seek though.

Of course Nymm didn't know how much time passed then either. He just knew he was tired again and so were the steeds.

The Grimmkins' energy levels still seemed the same. Nymm had yet to see one show any sign of tiredness. He had never seen them eat or drink either, now that he thought of it.

On his way back to his room, he decided to go check in on Grimm again. He knocked on the door and waited for a reply. It took a while before Grimm finally opened and... oh.

He was already taller than Nymm before, and this new molt had given him quite the growth spurt. His previous shell must have felt very tight and uncomfortable. The smaller bug was starting to think he would never ever catch up no matter how many molts he himself went through.

“Do you want something?” Grimm asked.

The flames of the lanterns around the tent were reflected in his brand new shell.

“I... I just wanted to... see if you were alright?”

“I am alright. Just exhausted.”

“See you tomorrow then?”

“I would like that”, Grimm smiled.

One could argue there was no such thing as “tomorrow” or “today” in this realm ; however that didn't prevent that kind of language from being used, if only because it was shorter than “the next time we wake up”. So the two wished each other goodnight before going to sleep.

When Nymm woke up and left his room, he found a small package waiting for him right outside his door. On the package was written “To : N from : G” in neat handwriting.

He opened it to find two small smooth rocks. Their shapes reminded him of Grimm's face and his own respectively. Nymm smiled, went back into his room and gently placed them in a box.

The box was also given to him by Grimm, at Nymm's request, to store the items his friend had already given him. Grimm had another, identical box in his own room for the things Nymm had given him. They would swap some of the content sometimes.

Then he got an idea, and walked to Troupe Master's door and knocked. It was immediately answered.

“Good morning”, Grimm greeted his friend. “Do you like my gifts?”

“I love them!” Nymm exclaimed. “Do you have something we can paint them with so they'll really look like us?”

“Divine has something we could use. Wait here.”

Grimm disappeared in a puff of red smoke. Was the sound his teleportation made slightly louder than before or was Nymm imagining things?

Either way, he made good use of his waiting time by fetching the rocks from his box and playing a few notes on his accordion.

When his friend came back, carrying the supplies they needed, they moved to Grimm's desk to start rock painting.

“You took these from Divine, right?” Nymm asked after a while as he was painting the other's face on one rock. “Does she paint?”

“Not so much anymore. She briefly got very into it some time ago and then moved on to other hobbies.”

Nymm hadn't talked to Divine all that much since he had arrived here. He hadn't really considered the fact that she must have hobbies other than looking a bit scary. It seemed obvious now that he did think about it and he felt slightly guilty for not having done so before.

“She ended up eating her own artwork”, Grimm continued while painting.

“...What?”

“Surely a bug eating non-food items cannot be the strangest thing in my realm, is it?”

Nymm thought about it for a moment, shook his head no, and went back to painting. His work was a bit sloppy but he was also having fun so it was all good. Besides, if it turned out particularly bad he could always scrub the rock clean and start again.

“You are more intimidated by her than by the literal creature of nightmares sitting right next to you”, the Troupe Master pointed out, an hint of amusement in his voice.

For just a split second, Nymm was confused by those words, then he remembered.

“You wouldn't be the only one”, Grimm continued. “You do not need to worry though. Friends of mine are friends of hers and vice-versa.”

“How did she join?”

“I suggest you ask her directly, if you wish to know. It is not my place to tell to her story.”

Nymm guessed that was fair.

They continued painting and chatting until the stones were done, then went on to go play with the novices while the paint dried.

When they came back for their creations, Grimm & Nymm each took the other's face to place in their boxes.

Nymm accepted to join Grimm & Divine for tea from time to time. If he were to live here permanently, it only made sense to try to get along with everyone in the Troupe. Now, for the first time, he had been invited while Grimm wasn't there.

The Troupe Master would go on errands occasionally, and so did Divine. Nymm wondered whether he could just leave with them. He most likely could. He just used the time they weren't around to practising his accordion more.

He was in Divine's tent now. She did not seem as intimidating now that he was used to her.

“...And so I followed Master and never looked back!” she finished, pouring herself a second cup of tea.

“Don't you miss your family?” Nymm asked.

“They never cared about me. They cared about babies being made.”

“You didn't want to be just a mum.”

“It's the 'just' part that's the problem”, Divine explained. “I love children! I do. But I also love other things! You know?”

“I guess?”

“If I become a mother, it'll be because _I_ want it! Not because others want.”

Nymm nodded and finished his cup.

“What about you?” Divine asked. “Do _you_ miss your family? Do they miss you?”

“I do.” The young bug stared at his empty cup. “They're all dead...”

“I'm sorry. Do you want to talk about it? Be distracted from it?”

“Second one please.”

The half-masked bug nodded, refilled Nymm's cup and started telling him about where she found this particular blend.

“Is that why you leave sometimes?” he asked. “To get more stuff?”

“Among other things.”

She chuckled but did not explain further.

“Grimm also brings back stuff sometimes... Not always though.”

“Master can't see us if we're in different realms”, Divine explained. “Maybe... Maybe this is why he leaves us alone sometimes.”

“Oh?”

“I still hear you practising though. You're getting better everyday! I'm proud of you.”

“Thank you. I try.”

“Why don't you play something for me? I would like that. I would like that very much.”

Nymm got up and improvised a melody. His accordion didn't feel too big for him anymore.

Divine praised his efforts again once he was done. He made a mental note to play this melody to Grimm later.

Nymm was recovering from a molt in his room when he heard Grimm's voice call to him.

“Do you still want a teacher?”

Nymm sat up on his bed.

“Did you find one?” he called back through the door.

“I might have. I'm not quite certain whether she wishes to teach. We can go ask whenever you feel like it.”

Nymm took some time to rest before going to the Troupe Master's room and tell him he was ready to go.

Even after his molt, the young musician was still so much shorter.

“Your new shell looks really good on you”, Grimm complimented his friend. “Let us leave this realm now. Cover your eyes.”

Nymm did as instructed. When he was allowed to look again, they were in a forest. The beech trees towered over everything else. Grimm took Nymm's hand to guide him through a patch of mushrooms.

They heard the sound of an accordion before they reached who was playing it.

It was a purple shrumal person. She kept playing as they approached and they waited for her to be done. Nymm was taking mental notes on her technique and how each movement affected her sound. He could tell how different her playing was to his. He wondered whether he had been doing everything wrong all along or they just had different styles. Maybe it was both.

The mushroom tipped her cap to her audience once she was done ; when they cheered she smiled and did an elegant bow. She straightened up and looked at the young Troupe Master.

“I think I might have seen you you earlier”, she said. “How nice of you to bring a friend along!”

She moved her stem slightly forwards and squinted her eyes like she was struggling to see.

“Are you carrying what I think you are, small one?” she asked Nymm. “My sight is not very good.”

He did not appreciate being called “small one” but he said nothing. Instead he took his instrument in hands and held it close to her face.

“Fellow accordionist, I see!” she exclaimed. “May I hear your music?”

He quickly improvised something.

“Who taught you?” the shrumal musician asked once he was done.

“Nobody but myself.”

“Really?”

“...Is that a good or a bad question?” Nymm asked.

“You reminded me of... I was wondering whether you had met my old teacher. But... was it actually _me_ you were trying to emulate?”

“Yes. Is that a problem?”

“No, I'm just impressed by how quickly you picked it up! You are a very observant one aren't you?”

“Can you teach me?” Nymm asked.

“It seems I've already started without realising”, the mushroom laughed. “I can show you more if... hum. What is an acceptable price?”

“I can pay for him”, Grimm offered.

Nymm thanked him : the Troupe Master insisted this was the least he could do for his dear friend.

“I should be honest with both of you so I will”, the adult said. “I am no teacher. But I will do my best.”

Nymm thanked her too. She then proceeded to give him more advice that he listened to intently. He was confident they would make it work and he would improve his skills.

Because of the impossibility of keeping track of physical realm time from within the Nightmare Realm, the only way for Nymm to be able to regularly attend his lessons was to stay with his instructor.

Votile was nice enough, and he liked playing music with her, but whenever they weren't doing that he would think about how he wished Grimm was there.

Obviously the Troupe Master would visit him very often, but he missed being able to knock on his door and enjoy each other's company whenever he wished.

The young musician still wasn't a full member, but he had been with them for so long he felt he belonged with them now, and being here talking about accordion techniques with Votile still felt strange.

“I'm so proud of you, Nymm”, she complimented him one day. “I'm... I do not know what more to teach you now. Lately I've felt like I am mostly here to remind you to practice every day. But you will do this without my input, won't you?”

Nymm nodded.

“Well then. Would you look at that. You do not need old shroom Votile anymore.”

“You think so?”

“I think the more important question is whether _you_ do, small one.”

He sighed at the teasing about his height. Not that he minded much now, of course. It simply wasn't funny.

“I guess I'm-” he started. “No, I _know_ I can take it from here.”

“Wonderful!”

“When Grimm comes, I'll get back home with him.”

 _Home_. This was what the Troupe was to him now.

It was only a few minutes later than Grimm arrived and asked how Nymm and Votile were fairing.

After some friendly chat, Nymm told his friend :

“It's time for us to go home.”

“Do you still wish to...?” Grimm asked.

“Yes. I am ready.”

The Troupe Master nodded. He and Nymm said farewell to the mushroom, who wished them the best.

Grimm teleported them both back to the Nightmare Realm, right at the entrance of the main tent where the steeds welcomed them back first. Then some kins arrived, followed by Divine.

Nymm smiled. It was good to see all of them again.

“I want to join you for real now”, he announced.

“Nymm...” Grimm started.

“I won't be using that name for much longer, will I?”

“Indeed you won't. Forgive me. In one more sleep, everything will be ready. Then you will be able to take the mask.”

It was done. Nymm was no more. Brumm was part of the Troupe, and it felt like he always had been.

He was having tea with Grimm and Divine now, chatting about nothing and everything. Well, mostly the other two were talking ; Brumm did not have much to say.

During a lull in conversation, he offered to play something for them. They gladly accepted and listened to the musician's new song. He confidently improvised it all.

His audience, as small as it was, applauded and cheered once he was done.

“I think I have a new favourite”, Grimm smiled.

Brumm smiled back under his mask.

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, Grimm and Brumm still have the painted rocks.  
> Also purple mushrooms are a real thing apparently (look up Cortinarius violaceus). Learn something new everyday!


End file.
